A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09 eBook

In Agra the Jesuits have a house and a handsome church,
built by the Great Mogul, who allows their chief seven
rupees a-day, and all the rest three, with licence
to convert as many as they can: But alas! these
converts were only for the sake of money; for when,
by order of the Portuguese, the new converts were
deprived of their pay, they brought back their beads
again, saying they had been long without pay, and would
be Christians no longer. In consequence of the
Portuguese refusing to deliver back the goods taken
at Surat, the king ordered the church doors to be locked
up and they have so continued ever since; so the padres
make a church of one of their chambers, where they
celebrate mass twice a day, and preach every Sunday,
first in Persian to the Armenians and Moors, and afterwards
in Portuguese for themselves, the Italians, and Greeks.

By them I was informed of the particulars of Mildenhall’s
goods, who had given them all to a French protestant,
though himself a papist, that he might marry a bastard
daughter he had left in Persia, and bring up another.
The Frenchman refusing to make restitution, was thrown
into prison and after four months all was delivered
up.

Between Agumere and Agra, at every ten coss,
being an ordinary day’s journey, there is a
Serai or lodging house for men and horses, with
hostesses to dress your victuals if you please, paying
a matter of three-pence for dressing provisions both
for man and horse. And between these two places,
which are 120 coss distant, there is a pillar erected
at every coss, and a fair house every ten coss,
built by Akbar, on occasion of making a pilgrimage
on foot from Agra to Agimere, saying his prayers at
the end of every coss. These houses serve for
accommodating the king and his women, no one else
being allowed to use them. The king resides at
Agimere on occasion of wars with Rabna, a rajput
chief, who has now done homage, so that there is peace
between them. I made an excursion to the Ganges,
which is two days journey from Agra. The Banians
carry the water of the Ganges to the distance of many
hundred miles, affirming that it never corrupts, though
kept for any length of time. A large river, called
the Geminie [Jumna], passes by Agra.

On the 24th of May, 1616, while on our voyage home
to England, we went into Suldunha bay, where were
several English ships outwards bound, namely, the
Charles, Unicorn, Janus, Globe, and Swan, the general
being Mr Benjamin Joseph. We arrived safe at
Dover on the 15th September, 1616.